50 Books a Year - The 2025 Challenge

18 The Winter Promise Rosie Goodwin (Audible)

An Audible free listen. This author is new to me. The setting is 1850, when the improbably named Opal, and her younger siblings find themselves orphaned with nowhere to live. Their impoverished lives take different directions when in spite of trying to stay together they become separated. Opal herself climbs up the social ladder to a better life, via a lady's maid eventually to marry her employer's not very nice son thus becoming lady of the house, putting the housekeeper's nose seriously out of joint. Meanwhile her younger brother gets himself transported to Australia, mistaken for stealing a wallet when he was merely picking it up from the ground.intending to hand it back to its owner. In due course he manages to ingratiate himself to The Governor by saving his son from a shark attack, for which he gets a pardon, subsequently he goes prospecting, makes his fortune and returns to England wealthy. In the meantime the two youngest siblings find themselves in the workhouse, the little girl adopted by a wealthy couple and the little boy, allegedly died, but did he? Highly improbable that four children who find themselves destitute in mid 19th century Victorian England end up somehow by chance pretty comfortably off, given there wasn't much in the way of social mobility then. This is cosy fiction though not Dickens version of that era.. The siblings difficulties never seem insurmountable, their stars eventually seem to align when they find their paths at certain junctures traverse and they inevitably reunite and end up happy ever after. Easy to listen to best to suspend belief.

#23. Before The Dawn by DS Butler.

No 3 Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. I’ve never read so few books as this year. I’ve so much on my mind that I can’t concentrate. I was disappointed in this book, my book group read. It began interestingly enough but fizzled out and by the time I reached the end I just felt ‘meh, is that it?’.

Hello, Bluedaffodil! My mother-in-law had a similar upbringing to MM Kaye. She was raised in India by amahs, while her Indian Army parents were off enjoying the high life! She was schooled at home, eventually having just a year of formal education when she came to the UK in her teens. She was a very spiritual person, which I imagine might have stemmed from her unusual childhood and exposure to other religions.

Thanks SueDonim!

Interesting to hear that your mother-in-law had a similar upbringing. Yes, religion seemed to be very much an everyday part of their life, with lots of festivals and saints days.

I've also started Tombland by CJ Sansom. This is the latest (and last) in the Shardlake series and it's started off very well. We are back in Tudor England, just after Henry VII has died but before Elizabeth is queen - a turbulent period. One of Elizabeth's relations has been embroiled in a murder and she wants Shardlake to find out the truth of what happened. I'm whipping through it at a rate of knots - I keep saying to myself "I must go and do [boring task] but I'll just read one more chapter!" And then another hour has gone.

19-The Angel-Katerina Diamond
I'm so glad I had this on the shelf as it was the conclusion of my last read , The Secret. I felt it should have been all in one book, as this one tied up all those loose ends I complained about. I couldn't put this one down.
A real eye opener of life in a boys home 20 years ago, and what it's like in prison on remand.

Just finished my book no.4
I’m such a slow reader compared to many on here!

It was “Home” by Marilynne Robinson.
Seemingly a prolific American writer whom I’d not come across before.

I enjoyed this book so very much. I haven’t wanted to keep reading a book as much since I read ‘Lamplighter’ by Emma Stonex.

I loved it. It’s a very slow burner, all focused on family dynamics in Iowa in the mid ‘50’s.

Lots of many memorable asides such as old and frail father (a retired Presbyterian minister) to his doctor son:

"“Where’s your stethoscope?” the old man asked. “It’s in the car.” “A good place for it. My heart will do whatever it wants to, and it has my permission. Same for my lungs.”" (from "Home: Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction" by "Marilynne Robinson").

I’ve decided on book no.5
It’s “Long Island” by Colm Tóibin. A treat, I’m hoping.

I have got "Home" sitting on my coffee table waiting to be read FGT, and hoping to really enjoy it.

FriedGreenTomatoes2, I am so pleased you enjoyed ‘Home’
I recently read it, and absolutely loved it, best book I’ve read in years
I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Come on Sparklefizz, get reading, can’t wait to hear what you think about it.

Book 26, Gilding the Lily, another by Rita Bradshaw, I do like her books.

#11 The Briarmen Joseph A Chadwick.
It is 1939 and Hamish is evacuated to a small village where he is lodged with Mrs Platts and her daughter Penny. Next to the village is a mysterious wood and the children are warned not to go there as strange things happen to those who do. Of course they do venture into the woods and encounter odd bush like creatures the " Briarmen" of the title. This is advertised as a fairy tale for adults but actually reads more like a children's book ( it's a bit like Narnia in some respects). Nevertheless it is charming and I enjoyed it very much.

19 The Lie Maker - Linwood Barclay

Faced paced crime thriller about a Witness Protection Scheme in the US. Jack Givens, an aspiring author is recruited to write fake biographies and back stories and generally create new personas for those who need to disappear into a new life and eradicate vestiges of their past. Unbeknown to the US Marshal boss who has supposedly headhunted him to carry out this task, Jack's own father disappeared from his life as a child and into this programme shielding from his deadly enemies. Jack seizes the opportunity of what on face value is a lucrative job to track down his own father who has gone missing, and in doing so becomes ensnared in a game of cat and mouse with his father's enemies in hot pursuit. Quite good, I can see the author's books are very popular, my husband passed me this book telling me he thought I'd like it, very readable, although not altogether my cup of tea.

I like Linwood Barclay, but don`t think this is one of his best.
Book 27, Above the Harvest Moon, another very enjoyable book from Rita Bradshaw.

Book 12: Wheel of Fortune book 1 of the tarnished crown series by C.F Dunn- This is a series set at the time of the Wars of the Roses. I'm not sure if I will read book 2!

I finished book No.5 this morning.
“Long Island” by Colm Tóibin.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well written and very engaging. The characters are wonderful and believable.

However …. SPOILER ALERT❗️
Anyone else read it and been … disappointed?

I felt totally cheated to be honest. The last few chapters when decisions were about to be made. Aargh! I was racing through, dying to find out the denouement and was left hanging. Totally. Nada.

Is another book in the offing? That’s all I can think of it was such a let down. I was left thinking “what?”. 😮

Will choose book no.6 over the weekend.
I love having a think.

Sara1954

FriedGreenTomatoes2, I am so pleased you enjoyed ‘Home’
I recently read it, and absolutely loved it, best book I’ve read in years
I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Come on Sparklefizz, get reading, can’t wait to hear what you think about it.

Yes Sara54 best read for me in ages! I absolutely loved it.
I’m still thinking on it now, one book over.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

I finished book No.5 this morning.
“Long Island” by Colm Tóibin.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well written and very engaging. The characters are wonderful and believable.

However …. SPOILER ALERT❗️
Anyone else read it and been … disappointed?

I felt totally cheated to be honest. The last few chapters when decisions were about to be made. Aargh! I was racing through, dying to find out the denouement and was left hanging. Totally. Nada.

Is another book in the offing? That’s all I can think of it was such a let down. I was left thinking “what?”. 😮

Will choose book no.6 over the weekend.
I love having a think.

Hi FGT welcome back.

Yes I read Long Island, I think it must have been back last year, I can't remember what I put about it now, but I know I enjoyed it. Most of the story shifted back to Ireland and her husband had fathered a baby by another woman. I think I'm recalling an inconclusive ending, up in the air. Well maybe Colm Toibin is setting the scene for a follow up, lets hope so.

Hellogirl1

I like Linwood Barclay, but don`t think this is one of his best.
Book 27, Above the Harvest Moon, another very enjoyable book from Rita Bradshaw.

My husband is a big Linwood Barclay fan, he likes crime and gallops through books very quickly, I recommended Tess Gerritsen, someone, somewhere on GN said they were good reads, so he's started on her books now.

15. Into the Water, Paula Hawkins

I was glad to get to the denouement here and find out the story behind the drownings that all took place in one village. It was a decent read, but there were so many twists and turns, and hints of supernatural goings on, that I lost a bit of interest towards the end.

8.
Me Before You - JoJo Moyes
Will Traynor is quadriplegic and miserable.
Lou Clark is fun-loving, has a boyfriend and suddenly is out of a job.
Can they help each other?

9.
Living with the Leopard - Maggie Alder
Set in the not far distant future, in an England where it's illegal to give food to homeless people, religion is viewed as extremist and your phone is likely to be spying on you.
Carrie and Tom get involved in smuggling homeless people to safety over the ever-strengthened border to Scotland.
(I read this as a real book instead of my usual audio books, which was a nice change.)

Sara1954

FriedGreenTomatoes2, I am so pleased you enjoyed ‘Home’
I recently read it, and absolutely loved it, best book I’ve read in years
I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Come on Sparklefizz, get reading, can’t wait to hear what you think about it.

Book 15 You are Here by David Nicholls.
This has been on reservation from the library for nearly a year, and at last it's my turn to read it, and it definitely did not disappoint!

Michael, a geography teacher, is devastated after the breakup of his marriage. He is 42 and has lost all confidence, preferring to spend time on his own.

Marnie is 38, a copy editor who works from home, who has also had a broken marriage that was a mistake from day one, which totally wrecked her self esteem.

Both are funny and likeable characters, and their mutual friend, Cleo, who despairs of getting each of them out of their rut, organises a few days away walking for a group of friends, and invites them along with the idea of matching Michael up with a triathlete friend and Marnie with a male friend, Conrad.

David Nicholls' writing is wonderful at dealing with the ups and downs of ordinary relationships with all their anxieties and angst and misunderstandings.

I totally loved this book and give it 10/10.

Ok, Sara1954 I will start reading "Home" today. Watch this space.

20-Old Rage-Sheila Hancock
A change from all the romances and thrillers, this is a funny, sometimes sad, and very frank collection of anecdotes and diary notes of one of our treasured actresses. Now in her nineties Sheila opens up about her tenth decade, and the things she has felt furious about. She talks about some of the sadness in her life but her positivity shines through. I hope I can look on life with such strength when I reach her age.

Book 13
Girl Forgotten - Karin Slaughter
Karin Slaughter has written some really chilling books, that have you on the
edge of your seat, this isn’t one of them.
It’s a dual time line, Emily, drugged, raped and pregnant, ostracised by her whole town, including her group of close friends, I mean, forty years ago? Had no one ever had a baby out of wedlock before? It just didn’t ring true, anyway, Emily is savagely murdered, surviving long enough on life support to give birth to a daughter.
Fast forward, newly appointed US marshal, Andrea, daughter of one of Emily’s group who is now in prison, is sent to protect Emily’s mother, the judge, following death threats.
Just never really got going for me.

#24. Murder Under The Mistletoe by Richard Coles.

#5 Woman Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros- A short story collection from the 1990s.

#25. The Quartet Murders by JR Ellis.